Fiona Apple played a short series of promotional shows earlier this year to support her upcoming album. Now, she's launching a full tour for "The Idler Wheel is Wiser" that includes stops in Baltimore and Washington D.C.

Apple's mini-tour, her first series of live performances outside of Los Angeles, started at South by Southwest and garnered near-ecstatic reviews from critics who said she was giving once-in-a-lifetime performances. When I caught her at the 6th & I Synagogue in March, she was incredibly compelling delivering both new and classic material.

Her new tour, which was announced Monday, will take her to larger venues than the intimate settings of the mini-tour. She'll play the Lyric June 20 - the tour's second stop - and the Warner Theatre in Washington June 26. Tickets go on sale April 20; cost has not been announced.

Erykah Badu, Common, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Chuck Brown and Estelle will headline the Summer Spirit Festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion this year; the news was posted on the venue's website.

The festival, set for August 4, marks the return of the festival to Maryland, after it was canceled last year, when Damian Marley, Nas and the Roots were supposed to play. Tickets, starting at $44 for lawn seats, go on sale April 20.

Also returning to Merriweather: the Vans Warped Tour, on July 24. It'll be the fifth festival announced so far this year at the venue, after Sweetlife, M3, Jazz Fest, and now Summer Spirit. This year, the bands include Taking Back Sunday, All Time Low, Funeral Partyand Yellowcard. Tickets, starting at $36, are on sale now.

The Black Keys, The Killers and Jack White, among others, have been booked to play the inaugural Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Delaware, set for July 20 - 22. Though it's premature, organizers are already billing it as "the East Coast's premier music experience."

Those bands will be joined by Death Cab for Cutie, John Legend and the Flaming Lips, among others. Tickets, at $198 for three-day passes, are already on sale.

The 90s alternative rock band the Dandy Warhols, now together for a mind-boggling 18 years, are on tour again to promote new album "This Machine." They'll play the 9:30 Club May 29. Ticket information has not been released yet.

Ledisi, who performed at the Lyric last fall, is back in Baltimore June 29. She'll perform at Pier Six Pavilion with openers Eric Benet and Chrisette Michelle. Tickets, starting at $35 for lawn seats, go on sale Friday.

Another R&B singer, Jill Scott, is also on tour this year, with new album "Light of the Sun." She'll be at the Verizon Center June 21 with Kem, Salt-n-Pepa, andDoug E. Fresh. Tickets, starting at $50.55, go on sale Saturday.

Jiffy Lube Live announced a bunch of shows last week: Sugarland, on July 22; 311 & Slightly Stoopid, on July 28; Jimmy Buffett, on September 1. Al tickets go on sale Friday and Saturday.

Dan Deacon's playing a gazillion shows. Dope Body are scheduled to spaz out at five different venues. Lower Dans are pulling a characteristic marathon, playing five shows over the span of three days. It would be easy to mistake Austin, Texas this week with a regular weekend in Baltimore. The same...

NEWINGTON – Mickey Gurzenda is accustomed to pitching in relief. Over the past three seasons that Southington South has played together, manager Chris LaPorte said, Gurzenda has pitched in a starting role once.